Wanderers lure Hamill home

The Western Sydney Wanderers have signed former Melbourne Heart defender Brendan Hamill for the 2014-15 Hyundai A-League season.

The Western Sydney Wanderers have signed former Melbourne Heart defender Brendan Hamill for the 2014-15 Hyundai A-League season.

Born and raised in Chipping Norton, Hamill rose through the ranks of local teams Chipping Norton FC, Marconi, Parramatta Eagles before completing his apprenticeship in the NSW and Australian Institute of Sport programs.

At 21 Hamill has already had four seasons of professional football under his belt including 35 games in the Hyundai A-League with former club Melbourne City (Heart 2010-12) prior to spending two seasons in the K-League with Seongnam Ilhwa and Gangwon FC (loan).

“Brendan ticks a lot of boxes for us; he-s young, ambitious, from Western Sydney and can play across the backline,” said Wanderers CEO John Tsatsimas.

“We-ve seen previously that he can perform in the A-League and following two seasons in Asia he will have matured as a player and as a man.”

A sturdy defender known for his fine positioning and commanding strength on and off the ball, Hamill will add to the Wanderers defensive stocks for the heavy 2014/15 schedule.

"As a local Western Sydney boy it means a lot to me to come back and play for the Wanderers, I grew up playing for a lot of the local sides in Western Sydney and to see how big the club is especially now with their incredible fans it is amazing to see the success the club has had, which is massive, and hopefully we can continue that,” said Hamill.

"I am looking forward to learning from Tony Popovic and the coaching staff here. Tony has played for the national team and over in England, he plays the same position as me so I am excited to learn as much as possible from him and be the best player I can be."

Having represented Australia at U17, U20 and U23 level, the 180cm stopper will be aiming to again prove his abilities at the elite level following a difficult final season in Korea after a knee injury.

Brendan Hamill joins Dean Bouzanis and Vitor Saba as the newest members of the Red & Black and takes the Western Sydney Wanderers roster for 2014/15 to 21.